Welcome back to the Gentleman's Gazette. In today's video, we're going to be exploring the concepts
of minimalism and maximalism in menswear to help you get them right.
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Now, if you're a menswear enthusiast, you might have come across the terms "minimalism" and
"maximalism." And, of course, these topics aren't necessarily tied to clothing themselves.
In fact, you could talk about the minimalism of Patrick Bateman's apartment in American Psycho,
or the maximalism of Raphael Schneider's diet. Hey, what can I say? Raphael is a self-proclaimed foodie.
Now, we'll save interior design and restaurant menus for another time. This video is all about
minimalism and maximalism in menswear. So, let's first start by defining each one of these terms.
Now, as you might have guessed, when it comes to minimalism in menswear, it all has to do
with reducing things. This, quite literally, can be accomplished by having a minimal amount of clothes,
as you've probably seen in capsule wardrobes. The focus here is to have as few of items as possible
that you can combine together. Minimalism can also apply to the actual element of styling the
clothing. Here, minimalism focuses on the clothing itself, lending them to be unfussy without logos,
and with simple patterns and designs; really focusing on the quality and construction of
the garment. Finally, minimalism has to do with how the entire outfit is put together. Here, you'll find
outfits centered around simple colors and patterns, in addition to the amount of clothing that is worn
or isn't worn in an outfit. So, with the definition of minimalism now under our belts, we can turn to
the other topic of maximalism. As you might have guessed here, maximalism is all about the name
itself. It's all about being bold. Now, this can apply to the individual item of clothing itself,
whether it's a combination of bright colors, patterns, and designs, like a madras check,
or how the item is constructed, such as a pair of multi-pleated pants
with lots of details packed in. Maximalism also takes into account the volume in the outfit.
This will include a larger number of layering pieces, and an increased number of accessories.
Texture is also a factor in maximalism, as many different types of skins, maybe exotic skins, can be
used. One thing to also remember about maximalism is that it doesn't just apply to classic clothing,
you can see it, quite often, now on the fashion runway. You can see these giant oversized logos
and signature patterns for particular brands, and you could even consider the thousand zippers on
this Superdry jacket as an example of modern maximalism. So next, let's first compare the
benefits and drawbacks of each of these particular styles. By far, the easiest benefit of minimalism is
just how easy it is to get dressed, and that's not just conceptually, it's practically, too. When you
have less pieces of clothing it's just easier to put them together and get dressed. This means that
getting dressed is a very simple task without a lot of extra thought required. After all, you've
curated the wardrobe in which every single piece works together perfectly. And practically speaking,
minimalism and its garments should have a lot less going on mechanically on the garments themselves.
Plus, a reduction of buttons and zippers leads to a much more relaxing dressing experience.
Minimalism is also great if you don't have a lot of space for your wardrobe. Naturally, we all dream
of having an entire walk-in closet, but for most of us, that's not a reality. This is especially
true if you want to look good, but you don't have the financial means to do so minimalism might be
right for you, and even if you have enough cash to build out an entire wardrobe, maybe you just
want things to be simple and less fussy. In a minimalist wardrobe with lots of money, you're
able to invest more in your pieces, and get more enjoyment out of them and have them last longer.
Finally, minimalism can be really stylish as well. Trends come and go, but over the last hundred years,
we've seen the suit really be a staple piece that is simple and worn by thousands of men. And even
though the suit has its own fads when it comes to lapel width and the width of the pants, the reality
is it has stayed very true to its original form over the years. I mean, take a look at
these photos, and you can see that the styles of the 50s and 60s still inspire and serve us well
today. So, with minimalism being easy, relaxed, and less fussy, let's see what maximalism has in store.
Simply put, maximalism gives you the ability to create stunning outfits that will wow others.
As the saying goes, "More is more," and having more pieces will give you more flexibility to create
some really amazing outfits. Maximalism also allows you to indulge in different areas of craftsmanship.
For example, where a minimalist might only have one pair of loafers, a maximalist will get to
enjoy suede loafers, unlined loafers ,and loafers of various styles and colors. So, as we've alluded to,
maximalism gives you more overall choice. You'll have a wide variety of different layers, and you
will guarantee that everything will be covered in something different. What this will allow you to do
is to create endless outfit combinations, and have accessories to add a personal touch to each and
every one. Okay, so these are some of the benefits to both, but what are some of the drawbacks?
The first drawback of minimalism is that you won't have as many colors and patterns to choose from.
Therefore, if you're going to invest in less pieces, we highly recommend that you
up the quality, because if you invest in a lot of cheap pieces, they're going to look really cheap.
Also, if you have a minimalist wardrobe, you might need to invest more time in clothing maintenance.
After all, the math is simple. If you only have a few pairs of pants and you wear them more
often, than if you had 20 pairs of pants, they're going to need more maintenance and care. Also, some
details of minimalism run the risk of looking dated quickly. For example, about 5-10 years ago
there was a trend with skinny minimal ties that looks totally dated now. Finally, on a personal
side, dressing in a minimalist fashion can make people think that you don't care about your style.
On the one hand, people might think that since your wardrobe is very minimal, that you don't take your
appearance seriously; and on the other hand, if you only have a few pieces, your outfits can just look
dull. Now, there are ways in which you can dress where you won't have to worry about
these minimalism drawbacks, and we'll have some tips and advice once we get through the drawbacks
of maximalism. The first drawback of maximalism is that getting dressed might take a while.
Whether it's making sure that all the colors and patterns of your outfit go together well,
or having 15 accessories, it just takes a while. Creating a stunning maximalist outfit can take
a lot more time, as you have to make sure that all the elements go together harmoniously.
You have to think about things like, "Does this stripe match with this check?" Or, "Do these colors
go well together?" And lastly. "Hmm. How do I put these two textures together?" And then, after you figure
all that out, then, you actually have to put the clothes on. After all, who would have known that
menswear is such an endurance sport? Maximalism can also be really expensive. We've already
established that with a minimalist wardrobe, you want to spend more money, but it can be really
expensive if you spend the same amount on the same level of quality, but with 20 times the items.
When it comes to maximalism, you're going to feel the financial hit more frequently.
And this comes from the point of clothing being looked at as a collection, where you're adding new
pieces consistently. Sure, you can absolutely add higher quality items to your maximalist wardrobe,
but the drive, after all, might be just adding a new piece.
[Outtake] An orange tie with blue diamonds?
And it's from Fort Belvedere? I don't have one in this color I'm gonna add it right now!
Now, another unfortunate part about maximalist style is that, quite often, people will think that
you're just overdressed, and this is especially true in the day and age where you see more shorts
than you do suits. But, since that's the way society is evolving, wearing a suit will make you stand out.
Now, we've spoken before on how to approach the situation if other people don't understand your
style, and you can check out that video here. But there's no denying that you might feel the
occasional discomfort and feel like other people are judging what you're wearing. Now, hopefully you
will receive more compliments than negativity, but it's just something that we wanted to highlight
when you dress in a maximalist fashion. And on a related note, there's also a way to do maximalism
wrong. This is another topic that we've touched on in the past, but it's really easy to make
maximalism look like a costume. So, in this example, Raphael is dressed in a very maximalist outfit
with lots of classic menswear details. But with the mentality of just throwing everything at the wall
and something's bound to stick, an outfit is loud distracting, and it just looks more like cosplay.
Okay, now it's time to put both theories into practice and construct some outfits.
Now, with every color of the rainbow in different fabrics, we could go on and on, but we're going to
use some simple examples. So, taking into account everyday wear, cold weather, and warm weather,
let's go through some outfits. When it comes to minimalism, the basis of this outfit is a classic
element of menswear - the navy jacket. No matter if it's a blazer or a sports jacket, this look
is absolutely timeless when it's paired with a gray pair of pants. Grey and navy are menswear
staples, so really anyone from the minimalism or maximalism camp really should have these pieces.
The addition of a crisp white shirt works well here as it'll really look good with any skin tone.
A pair of burgundy or oxblood loafers here work great, as they tie together with the colors and
the formality of the ensemble. And all the pieces of this wardrobe work well with other pieces of a
minimalist wardrobe. The loafers will pair with a full suit, a pair of khakis, or even jeans. The
gray pants can be matched with other odd jackets, or even knitwear. And white shirts and navy jackets
look good with just about anything. And if the accessories are still too fussy for you, you can go
one step further and just remove them for a pure minimalist look. Although I will say, we are the
Gentleman's Gazette, and we always recommend that you wear a pocket square, and if you want to, a tie.
Turning our attention to colder climates, let's go with a tried and true two-piece suit. This
one here is shown in dark navy, and if you're in a colder weather climate, it might be good to get
one in flannel. In the true spirit of minimalism, you could consider that this is the suit that we
use the jacket for in the previous outfit, where a streamlined wardrobe becomes more wonderfully
versatile, and you can mix and match different pieces with ease. This outfit draws on inspiration
from those outfits earlier from the 50s and 60s, where choosing a well-cut two-button suit
really has timeless appeal. The lack of pattern or fussy detailing really keeps it minimal, timeless,
and classic. And although a white shirt is absolutely home here, you could swap in a blue,
a pink, or even a cream one. Also, we switched up the loafers to a pair of black Oxfords. The black
Oxford is not only a staple within menswear, but the whole cut design really lends more towards the
minimalist. And when temperatures take even more of a dip, adding a classic trench coat is perfect.
This choice of coat here is perfect because the color is pretty neutral, and it can be worn across
a variety of outfits. Now, looking to the opposite of cold temperature, let's look at hot. You might
think that the solution would be just to wear less clothing when it comes to hot weather, but there is
an elegant way to do it. So, sticking with the theme of a classic shirt, we'll replace the button-down
with a solid white T-shirt. We'll also replace the suit trousers with a pair of cotton chinos.
And if the nights and mornings get a little chilly, you can add in an overshirt. A simple design and
color like this one will not only give you a little bit of added warmth, but also some
utility with extra pockets. Now, let's take a look at some maximalist outfits. For our everyday choice,
we took a similar formula to the minimalist outfit, but added a little bit of maximalist flair.
You can see that we have sort of the same color palette going on. We have a navy jacket,
we have some lighter colored trousers, and a white shirt, but here, the devil really is in the details.
Preston's wearing a double-breasted blazer with gold buttons, which really leans more into the
"more is more" idea of maximalism. He's also wearing a pair of brogues, which adds a little bit of extra
detail than a pair of plain shoes. He also replaced the tie and warrant ascot, which is much more bold.
And all the colors work together as the gold tones pick up the gold in the buttons of his jacket. And
lastly, it's Preston, so he had to have a hat. Now, jumping to a cold weather climate, here's our take
for a maximalist winter outfit. Now, this is one that's tough for us, because when you have someone
like Raphael on your team, who has an expansive collection of overcoats, it's hard to just pick one.
But, we chose his paletot because it's unique and interesting. It has the velvet collar, as well as a
double-breasted closure. Underneath the overcoat is a rope stripe suit. And, of course, two-tone balmoral
boots are perfect for maximalist winter dressing. Really, you can have your pick of accessories here;
gloves, scarves, hats, all the above, and of course, a pocket square and a boutonniere just to top things
off. Okay, one last jump back to hot weather. Here, the maximalist will look for an opportunity to
utilize color and cloth. A pastel green jacket is paired with a pair of beige and white seersucker
pants - not only are both of these items interesting colors, but they're also packed with craftsmanship
and details. This outfit is topped off with a contrasting deep blue denim shirt, and a
pocket square where the denim will naturally age and fade into a unique patina. And once
again, we're utilizing broguing. as Raphael is wearing a pair of tan brogues, in a really nice
fun color. Whether you feel more closely aligned to minimalism or maximalism in your personal style,
hopefully, we've made a case for both. Typically, the Golden Age of Menswear that we enjoy here at the
Gentleman's Gazette is rooted within maximalism. But, you can still achieve minimalist style within
the realms of classic menswear, where the overall goal is to be not too plain or not too loud.
So, question for the comments. Where do you think I fall? I think my outfit makes it pretty clear
In today's outfit, I'm wearing a pretty classic menswear combination of a navy jacket and gray
flannel pants. My jacket's in a classic navy hopsack. It was made to measure for me a number
of years ago, and it is a well-worn piece. It has some unique details that I got to customize at the
time, like a unique color to the melton collar, a unique lining and piping, as well as patch pockets
and a three-rolls-two configuration. My pants are pretty plain. They are a charcoal gray flannel
from SuitSupply. My shirt and tie is where I decided to add a little bit of maximalism. My shirt
is a white and blue university striped oxford, made to measure by Proper Cloth; and my tie is in green
from Fort Belvedere with blue and orange flowers; my pocket square is our white pocket square with
a light blue X-stitch, which picks up the blue in my shirt. My shoes are a pair of pebble grain brown
penny loafers from Morjas. My socks are our gray socks from Fort Belvedere. And sticking with the
minimalist theme, my watch is this beautiful blue dial grand Seiko that is part of their Elegance
Collection. This was sent over by Federico over at Delray Watch. They're not a sponsor of the video,
but they send us watches which is a huge help. Now, if you want to check out any of our other
Fort Belvedere accessories like my tie or my pocket square, you can check out the link here.
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